After beating the Boss of the 70th Floor, William found himself staring at the Dungeon Core of the Orc Dungeon.
Elliot was also inside the room with him and stared at the glowing orb of light that powered the entire dungeon.
"Will, the bottle," Elliot reminded. "I will help you gather the Dungeon Core Essence."
William nodded and took out a vial that was made from a special material that Celeste had given him.
Elliot then placed his palm over the Dungeon Core and closed his eyes. He, and Conan, were born as dungeon cores in the past. Due to the actions of Deus, both of them had been corrupted, and only their inner cores were able to survive.
If William hadn't arrived on time, the Twin Cores might have been destroyed, and Elliot and Conan might not have been born as the Half-Elf's familiars.
Dungeon Cores could be considered as powerful batteries. Their powers were limitless. However, if one were to take their essence, they would weaken for a week or two, which would slow down the spawn rate of the monsters that appeared inside the Dungeon.
"Thank you," Elliot said softly after he finished communicating with the Dungeon Core.
Suddenly, two wisps of light emerged from the surface of the core and flew towards the vial in William's hand.
After that, the bright glow of the Dungeon Core dimmed a bit. This signified that the transfer had been completed.
"Will, place your mark on the Dungeon Core," Elliot said. "I talked to him about your 'Secret Class' and he is very interested in joining you when the seal on your powers has been unlocked."
"Okay," William replied.
Even if Elliot didn't remind him, he was already planning on adding the Dungeon of the Horde to the Dungeons that would be under his command, once his Dungeon Conqueror Job Class had been fully awakened.
Once a dungeon had been added to his legion, the Dungeon would be transferred inside his Ring of Conquest, allowing William to modify it on his whim.
Of course, once this happened, the Dungeon of the Horde would disappear from the Central Continent. All that would remain is an empty husk, that would slowly deteriorate over time.
No monsters would respawn inside it, and the number of floors would decrease day by day until nothing was left. By that time, the Ares Empire would conduct its own investigation, but it would already be too late to do anything.
"It's done," William said after placing the mark of the conqueror on the Dungeon Core.
The Dungeon Core glowed once as if acknowledging that it had been claimed by him.
A few seconds later, the Dungeon Core sent William back to the Boss Room where his party members were waiting for him.
"Is it over?" Princess Sidonie asked.
"Yes." William smiled. "Let's go back to the Academy."
A magic circle appeared under their feet, and all of them were sent back to the entrance of the Dungeon. Their mission had been completed, and it was now time to return to the academy.
Elliot had already told William about Conan's condition. According to the Angelic Familiar, Conan would only wake up once the Familiamancer Job Class has been successfully upgraded.
Because of this, William wasted no more time and went to a secluded place to transfer everyone back inside his Thousand Beast Domain.
Afterwards, he activated the skill of the Prince of Thunder Job Class to turn into a lightning bolt that streaked towards Hestia Academy.
—–
Several hours later…
After arriving at the academy, William parted with everyone as he went to look for Celeste.
He was worried about Conan's condition, so he decided to upgrade his Job Class as soon as possible.
Fortunately, Celeste had already made preparations.
The beautiful elf led William to the north side of the Academy where a Temple of the Gods was built.
When they reached the inner temple, a statue of a beautiful woman, wearing celestial clothes greeted William's vision.
William had already met many Gods, and he wondered who this God was.
Celeste, who was paying close attention to William, smiled as she told him a little about the Goddess Statue that was enshrined inside the temple.
"She is her Excellency, Hestia," Celeste stated. "She is the Goddess of the Hearth, Home, and Family. Among the Goddesses of this world, she is known as a pacifist and dislikes conflicts.
"Some say that she appears in front of heroes who will save this world, one way or another. Those who are able to see her Excellency can consider themselves lucky, for very few people catch her interest."
William gazed at the beautiful statue that had a gentle smile on her face. He had already met several Gods, but he hadn't had the opportunity to see Hestia in the Temple of the Ten Thousand Gods.
"Have you seen her, Professor?" William inquired.
"Me?" Celeste shook her head. "No. How about you?"
"Not yet. But, maybe I'll see her in the future?"
"Keep dreaming. Do you really think you're a protagonist or something?"
William wanted to tell her that he was indeed a protagonist. However, he knew that Celeste wouldn't believe him, so he decided to just put the matter aside for now and focus on his advancement ceremony.
The Half-Elf looked down at the cushion he was holding in his hands. Lying on top of it was none other than Conan, who was sleeping peacefully. He hoped that after the ceremony, the little Devil would once again open his eyes and accompany him like usual.
"Let's start," Celeste said.
Chloee and Claire floated beside her as they, too, prepared for the ceremony.
"I call upon you, esteemed King of all Familiars." Celeste pressed her hands together in a prayer. "Your loyal followers humbly ask you for your guidance. Please, honor us with your presence."
A moment later, a bright light appeared inside the inner temple.
William hastily closed his eyes because the light was too bright for him. Only when he felt that everything returned to normal did he open his eyes.
This time, he didn't see Celeste, Chloee, and Claire.
He stood in a completely white world, devoid of any other color.
"We finally meet. I've been waiting for a long time"
A calm, yet firm voice said from behind William.
The Half-Elf slowly turned his body to look behind him, and there he saw an old man, wearing a white robe with many symbols, similar to hieroglyphs.
The old man had a friendly expression on his face, and his presence made William feel calm.
"My name is Zenon," Zenon said softly. "I am the God of Familiars, and I am here to help you ascend to become a Familiamancer Sovereign. Nice to meet you, William."
"It's my honor to meet you, Your Excellency, Zenon," William replied. "Can we start the ascension ceremony?"
Zenon nodded his head. "Of course, but before that, let me ask you a serious question first. Is that fine with you?"
William nodded and waited patiently for Zenon's next words. This was the first time he was meeting the God of Familiars and he was very curious about what he had to say.
"Tell me, William. If you were given a choice between saving this world, or saving the person you love, which one would you choose?"
